It’s been an exciting yet challenging year for the Wolf Conservation Center and our small staff and dedicated board of directors are humbled by the incredible support from our pack – our donors, volunteers, and advocates.

Because of you, 2013 was an exciting year for the WCC. Some highlights include:

• “Tracks to the Future,” a thematic interdisciplinary education curriculum using the wolf as its integrating theme,

•  “Family Walk for Wolves” gave kids of all ages the chance to participate in varied activities on the National Day of Action to Support Wolf Recovery

• Atka in Action: Atka traveled to Washington D.C to encourage those on the Hill to become champions for his wild kin,

• Newborn Lobos: Two new Mexican Gray Wolves were born, and your support ensured their survival and safety,

• Calls of the Wild: Two wolves born at the WCC reclaiming their ancestral homes in the wild to bring their ecosystems back to balance,

• Expert Testimony: WCC Staff spoke at two public hearings (in Washington D.C. and Albuquerque, NM) opposing the government’s national wolf “delisting rule”,

• Awareness and Action Center: Amassing over 2000 votes, actual emails sent directly to our respective senators, via our NEW Popvox campaign in support of the Endangered Species Act,

• National model in SSP: Promoted citizen participation in species recovery and lead initiatives encouraging SSPs to expand their role beyond captive wolf recovery.

• Top-Rated: We achieved the prestigious “2013 Top-Rated Award” from GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations

None of this would have been possible without your support. So as we close 2013, we thank you for this success and rededicate ourselves to our mission. Because many challenges remain…

Wolves continue to be subjected to aggressive hunts despite opposition from prominent scientists and concerned citizens like you. The USFWS’s national delisting draft rule and proposals that affect Mexican wolf recovery in the Southwest may deny wolves the opportunity to fulfill their biological role in ecosystems where they are just beginning to make a comeback. Finally, on 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act becoming a law, newly introduced attack bills threaten the future of the landmark legislation and the thousands of species it safeguards.

With both the natural and political challenges facing wolves, our work ahead has never been more important. But as a pack, we will make a difference.

Thanks again for your support and we look forward to working with you in 2014!